Late last week, rumors swirled around the speculation of a possible trade between the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates for veteran Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Now the New York Mets have been added to the list of Major League Baseball teams that are interested in acquiring McCutchen.
Following their very disappointing 2017 season, the New York Mets want to return to contention in the National League East under their new manager Mickey Callaway. If the Mets are to accomplish that feat, they will need to address several needs on...

The MLB trade deadline is still all that anybody can talk about, and that isn’t a bad thing. After all, the futures of a lot of athletes are being decided. And it is difficult to deny the fact that the MLB Trade Deadline affects online betting odds.
The players usually bear the brunt of the resulting instability. Just look at Jamie Garcia who spent a week as a member of three separate clubs. How does that happen? Well, it all began when Jamie went to the Minnesota Twins in Oakland after a trade with the Atlanta Braves.
It only took four days for...

Trade Rumors in Major League Baseball are continuing to heat up with three high-profile pitchers expected to change clubs between now and Monday’s trade deadline.
While pitchers both starters and relievers are no stranger to the trade deadline bedlam, seeing three pitchers with the talent of Sonny Gray, Yu Darvish and Justin Verlander is uncommon.
With important weekend games on the schedule this is the latest round of trade rumors for the three pitchers.
Oakland Athletics – Sonny Gray
The Yankees are interested but the Oakland asking price...

Things on the trading side of things in baseball are a little slow, almost as if everyone is preparing to make a massive dash as the deadline looms. The sports betting lines offered by major sportsbooks don’t reveal much.
There has always been a prominent news story about the trades in MLB. You had Aroldis Chapman, Mark Melancon and Andrew Miller raising a fuss in 2016. With 2015, it was Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels and David Price who were causing the media to hyperventilate.
This year’s deadline seemed set to pass without much hullabaloo until...

The Cincinnati Reds signed Drew Storen a reliever to a deal of one year. The 29-year old posted an ERA of 5.23 for 51 2/3 innings last season with Toronto and Seattle.
After he struggled with Toronto in the early part of last season, Storen posted an ERA of 3.44 with Seattle during his last 18 plus innings of work last season.
It is expected Storen’s deal is worth $3 million, but there are incentives build in for another $1.5 million.
The Philadelphia Phillies are in search of a free agent veteran bat and the name of Jose Bautista has come up....

The Atlanta Braves finalized their 25 man roster and the moves left two-time all-star and Gold Glove winner Michael Bourn looking for work. The Braves now have 10 days to either release or trade Bourne. Emilio Bonifacio was also designated for assignment. The team continues its move towards youth.
The Braves’ two highest-paid players this year will be Bourn and Nick Swisher, both of whom are now gone.
The team chose to keep veteran Drew Stubbs, who signed with the Braves on March 30 after his release by the Texas Rangers.
Bourn was thought...

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a trade to acquire outfielder Corey Dickerson and a prospect from the Colorado Rockies, for lefty reliever Jake McGee and a Rays prospect.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports initially reported the deal, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post first said McGee was involved.
Rosenthal tweets that the Rockies will be sending McGee and a minor league pitcher to the Rockies in exchange for Dickerson and a different minor league pitcher.
The 29-year-old McGee posted a 2.41 ERA with an exceptional 32.9 strikeout rate...

The Tampa Bay Rays have reached an free agent Steve Pearce on a one-year deal. The deal is pending a physical. Pearce spent the past two season with the Baltimore Orioles and has hit 36 homers in 632 at-bats in that time.
In 2014 Pearce had a career year when he hit .293/.373/.556, 157 OPS+, 26 2B, 21 HR in 383 plate appearances. Those number came back significantly in 2015, .218/.289/.422, 91 OPS+, 13 2B, 15 HR in 325 plate appearances. The deal was first announced by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
Pearce will be able to give the...

The New York Yankees and Cinncinnati Reds have agreed in a trade sending prized closer, Aroldis Chapman, to the Yankees in exchange for a package of four minor league prospects, including: Eric Jagielo, Caleb Cotham, Rookie Davis and Tony Renda.
Chapman is far and away the biggest name in the deal, arguably the best closer in baseball, posting a 1.14 WHIP to go with a 1.63 ERA and 15.7 K/9 last season, which was on the low end of his career numbers. The 27-year-old is in his prime and could be a free agent after 2016, but faces potential punishment...

The San Francisco Giants have reached a six-year, $130 million contract agreement with free-agent right-hander Johnny Cueto. The deal includes an opt-out after two years. The 29-year-old had a 3.44 ERA (117 ERA+) in 212 innings for the Reds and Royals this past season, and helped Kansas City to the World Series title.
Cueto turned down $120 million from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who later gave Zack Greinke more than $200 million. The Giants earlier signed right-hander Jeff Samardzija to a five-year, $90 million deal.
Cueto has a carer 96-70...

Jason Heyward chose the Chicago Cubs over returning to the St. Louis Cardinals and has agreed to terms on an 8-year, $184 million deal. The deal includes two opt-outs — after the third year and the fourth, if he exceeds a plate-appearance threshold.
The move to add Heyward comes after free -agent Ben Zobrist signed on Tuesday to replace Starlin Castro, who was simultaneously traded to the New York Yankees for right-hander Adam Warren.
Heyward seems to be a good bet to play center in 2016, with Jorge Soler in right and Kyle Schwarber in...

One year after trading Jason Heyward for Shelby Miller, the Atlanta Braves have traded their young pitching stud in a new package for a promising young player and prospects. Miller, 25-years-old with three years of team control left, was sent to the Diamondbacks in exchange for outfielder, 25-year-old Ender Inciarte, pitching prospect, Aaron Blair and former number one overall shortstop, Dansby Swanson.
For the Diamondbacks, it’s a deal which sets up the front of the rotation for several years. After signing Zack Greinke last week and being...

The Chicago Cubs played musical chairs with its middle infield in the past few hours, signing 34-year-old Ben Zobrist to a four year deal worth $56 million and trading away 25-year-old former All-Star, Starlin Castro, to the Yankees for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan.
For Chicago, the deal went beyond age. The Cubs are one of the youngest teams in the game and were clearly looking for veteran leadership, which will be found from a former player of Manager, Joe Maddon, in Zobrist, who was a key acquisition for the Royals en route to their first World...

Free agent Ben Zobrist has agreed to terms with the Chicago Cubs on a four-year deal worth $56 million. Zobrist, 34, is coming off a 2015 season for the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals in which he batted .276/.359/.450 with 13 homers and 36 doubles in 126 games.
Kansas City acquired the switch-hitting Zobrist in a trade with the A’s days before the July trade deadline. Prior to his stint in Oakland, the two-time All-Star had spent his entire nine-year career with the Rays.
The move reunites Zobrist, 34, with his former...

The Los Angeles Dodgers started off the 2015 Winter Meetings with a splash, acquiring left-hander Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds for two prospects. FOX Sports MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal on Sunday reported the Dodgers were “making progress” on the trade. The deal, which is pending Chapman’s passing a medical examination
Reds president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty said last month that he hoped to move the hard-throwing left-hander before this week’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.
“We...

The Chicago Cubs and free-agent right-hander John Lackey reached agreement on a two-year deal worth $32 million. Ken Rosenthal of Fox sports first reported the news, although the team has not yet confirmed the signing. Lackey made $507,000 in 2015 with the Cardinals.
Lackey is reportedly close friends with Cubs left-hander Jon Lester, dating back to when they were both players for the Red Sox, and likely had some influence in the deal.
With the Cardinals in 2015, Lackey went 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA (143 ERA+) in 218 innings. He owns a 3.35 ERA (119...

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with Zack Greinke, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets. The deal is pending a physical.
Greinke was reportedly down to the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, but this would hardly be the first time some team came in at the last minute on a big-name free agent and swept him up.
The Diamondbacks normally have a mid-range payroll and shy clear of lengthy, steep contracts with free agents, but a new TV deal worth $1.5 billion has changed that mentality.
The Diamondbacks reportedly made a six-year, $120-million...

Just a couple days after landing star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the Toronto Blue Jays have come away with the top pitcher on the market, David Price. The Dodgers, Giants and Yankees also showed strong interest in Price. Blue Jays prospect Daniel Morris will be heading back to the Tigers likely with outfielder Anthony Alford. the deal is contingent on the players involved passing physicals, as always.
Just yesterday, general manager Dave Dombrowski said he told multiple teams Wednesday afternoon that the Detroit Tigers will listen on...

The Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a trade that will send closer Jonathan Papelbon to Washington in exchange for RHP Nick Pivetta while also sending cash considerations to the Nationals, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced. The 34-year-old Papelbon has pitched to a 1.59 ERA with 40 strikeouts against just seven unintentional walks in 39 2/3 innings.
For his career, he owns an ERA+ of 186 and is 12th on the all-time saves list with 342.
Papelbon is owed the balance of a $13-million salary for 2015....

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to acquire Oakland Athletics utilityman Ben Zobrist, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. This makes the second big deal the Royals have accomplished this summer having picked up Johnny Cueto from the Reds in an earlier deal . Between Cueto and Zobrist, the Royals have made two significant upgrades without sacrificing much off their major league roster.Prospects Aaron Brooks and Sean Manaea are the two players heading back to the A’s.
Zobrist, 34, is hitting .268/.354/.447 with 20 doubles,...

The Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros are two teams headed in different directions. The Astros are competing for a playoff spot and the A’s, well it looks like they might be in rebuild mode all of a sudden, And may prove to be the biggest sellers in Major League Baseball heading into the trade deadline.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that the Oakland Athletics have sent left-hander Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros for prospects, right-hander Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham. Kazmir has posted...

Versatile third baseman Josh Harrison will miss seven weeks after undergoing surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday. Harrison’s injury arrives in the midst of his team’s eight-game winning streak that has lifted it within four games of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League East with a 50-34 record. Pittsburgh currently owns a 3.5-game lead in the NL wild card race.
The Pirates are also without outfielder Starling Marte, who left Sunday’s game after...

With one of the most dominant starts in all of baseball this season, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto eased concerns from major league clubs interested in acquiring his services as the trade deadline nears. On Tuesday, the 29-year-old Dominican Republic native silenced the Washington Nationals by tossing a complete game, two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and one walk. He threw 122 pitches in Cincinnati’s 5-0 win and retired 17 of the final 18 batters he faced.
The stellar performance could have been Cueto’s last with the Reds,...

Jonathan Papelbon has loudly voiced his desire for a trade to a contender. Francisco Rodriguez could be on the move if the rebuilding Milwaukee Brewers get an offer they can’t refuse. Yet, for a contender that needs a closer – like the Toronto Blue Jays – Atlanta’s Jason Grilli would cost less in terms of salary and prospects.
Over 35 games and 33.2 innings this year, the 38-year-old right-hander has a 2.67 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 24 saves for a surprising Braves team that is 42-43, 4.5 games...

Now that the Boston Red Sox have rebounded from an atrocious beginning to the 2015 campaign and are back in the American League East race, talk about the club landing a frontline starting pitcher by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is again percolating. A new set of trade chips in Boston’s deep farm system could be played to acquire that arm.
Last offseason, trade chatter regarding the Red Sox and Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels centered around highly regarded young players like shortstop Xander Bogaerts, outfielder Mookie Betts and...

Traditional stats say that veteran right-hander Jason Frasor is having an effective season out of the Kansas City Royals bullpen. According to Sabermetrics, he is struggling. Based on the the latter, the Royals designated Frasor for assignment on Monday to make room on the active roster for outfielder Paulo Orlando.
The 37-year-old Frasor was a key member of a Royals bullpen that was pivotal in the team’s American league pennant last season. He posted a 1.53 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and a 4.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 23 appearances and 17.2 innings...

Thanks to enviable starting pitching depth, the Washington Nationals are not likely to pursue a trade in the wake of Stephen Strasburg‘s trip to the 15-day disabled list.
Strasburg, who has logged a gaudy 5.16 ERA and a .289 batting average against in 13 starts this season, departed his Fourth of July outing against San Francisco after 56 pitches. He induced a ground out from Buster Posey and then grabbed at his left side. MRI results on Sunday revealed a right oblique strain, prompting his second stint on the DL this year. He was placed their...

Will the Red Sox buy or sell before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline? The likely answer to this widely discussed question across New England will become clearer in the club’s eight games leading to the All-Star break.
As the season has reached the official halfway point of 81 games, they are 37-44 and six games behind first place Baltimore and New York in the American League East as well as six games out in the wild card standings. Boston opens a three-game series tonight against the surprising Houston Astros at Fenway Park before hosting...

Stocked with an abundance of promising young pitching, the Atlanta Braves are open to dealing from that depth to acquire a young catcher who is productive at the plate, based on a Tweet from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
Still in the midst of a rebuilding project under new president of baseball operations John Hart, the Braves enter Thursday night’s contest with Philadelphia at 38-41, five games behind Washington in the National League East and five games out in the wild card standings.
Atlanta’s farm system has made dramatic strides under...

An atrocious start from Rick Porcello on Wednesday that saw him allow seven runs and seven hits in two innings at Toronto gives the Boston Red Sox another reason not to trade veteran right-hander Clay Buchholz, who is drawing interest from multiple teams.
In his first five starts this season, Buchholz was 1-3 with a 5.76 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. After an improved May, he logged a 4-0 mark, a 2.21 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP over six outings in June. His last three starts? The 30-year-old right-hander has surrendered a total of two runs and 19 hits over 22 innings...

The Baltimore Orioles will attempt to trade Delmon Young after designating the veteran outfielder for assignment, general manager Dan Duquette told the media on Wednesday.
The move was made to clear a roster spot for 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Tyler Wilson. Young, who is in his second season with Baltimore after inking a one-year, $2.25 million contract last offseason, has a .270 average with two home runs, 16 RBI and just a .628 OPS in 180 plate appearances this season. In 2014, the right-handed hitting corner outfielder batted .302 with...

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Tampa Bay Rays search for offense apparently will include signing Grady Sizemore to a minor league. The Rays announced today that they have signed veteran the outfielder to a minor league contract. Sizemore, who was recently released by the Phillies, will report to the team’s facility in Port Charlotte to begin workouts.
The 33 year old hit .245 with no home runs and six RBI in 39 games with Philadelphia. Sizmore’s once promising career has been derailed with a series of injuries. he was a three times All...

Considering the widely publicized pitching woes and the unexpectedly anemic offense, it could be worse for the Boston Red Sox. Almost a quarter of the 2015 regular season is complete, and the team favored by many pundits to win the American League East title is 19-20 and 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees.
With the trade deadline still more than two months away, and most teams unlikely to execute trades since they still believe they are at least in the wild card race, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has little choice but to look within...

It’s about that time of year where minor clues start to be handed out like early Easter eggs during spring training and it coincidentally coincides with another annual Yankees’ tradition: Pitching injuries. Chris Capuano is the first to go down, straining his right quad and leaving the door open for any of: Adam Warren, Scott Baker or Bryan Mitchell to have to make at least one start during the first half of April.
What we know about the rest of the team so far is this: Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are likely forming a lefty-lefty...

Much has been made of the health in the Yankees’ starting rotation, from the front-end arms of Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda to the depth potential in Ivan Nova and CC Sabathia. New York will be going into the regular season likely with a rotation different from its powerful bullpen which should have depth and high upside, but similar to its offense, potentially better than last year but still full of question marks.
Each pitcher has a different issue they will be dealing with for the start of the season with varying levels of risk and...

It’s been two days and Yoan Moncada is still a Boston Red Sox player. This didn’t turn out to be a cruel joke Hal Steinbrenner tried to pull to literally see if his Father might roll over in his grave. And as the past 48 hours have come and gone, it’s clear the Yankees did not have a suitable plan for how to approach an offer for the Cuban teenager.
All winter long the Yankees have operated intelligently and with understandable restraint. They didn’t overspend on veterans in free agency who won’t be around or in their...

The New York Yankees will need a lot to go right in order to be contenders for the 2015 season. CC Sabathia and his recent weight gain will have to stay healthy and effective. Michael Pineda and Mashiro Tanaka will likely have to avoid major injury, while Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez try to capture glory days one last time.
While bit players like Chris Young and Garrett Jones are specifically on the 25 man roster to provide depth in case of injury, there are four players who aren’t even on the 40 man roster who may offer a long-term impact...

The San Diego Padres and James Shields have reached an agreement on a four-year deal reportedly worth between $72 million and $78 million. the deal includes an option for its fifth season and is contingent on Shields passing a physical. Over the weekend, the Padres became the front runners to acquire the services of the 33-year-old right-hander. The Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins were said to have interest as well.
Shields had indicated a preference for playing on the West Coast.
Shields posted a 3.21 ERA over 227 innings in 2014 with the...

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies are still talking to the Brewers and Blue Jays about a Jonathan Papelbon trade. Two sources said on Tuesday evening that the talks are alive, although the seriousness of those discussions is unclear.
Yahoo! Sports first reported Friday that the Phils and Brewers were in serious negotiations. FOXSports.com mentioned the Blue Jays’ interest.
In the days since, reports surfaced that a deal with either team is unlikely. But that has not stopped them from continuing to talk about Papelbon.
Both Milwaukee and Toronto...

James Shields is waiting by the phone hoping it will ring. Going into the MLB off season he was one of the biggest free agents out there ready to offer his services to the highest bidder. But something happened on the way to the bank and Shields is still waiting for the Brinks Truck to show up at his house.
Jon Lester signed with the Cubs for 6 years at $155 million, Max Scherzer signs 7 years at $210 million and Shields still sits there waiting for his phone to ring. Why is Shields still left unsigned when teams are finishing their off season plans...

The Texas Rangers acquired pitcher Yovani Gallardo from the Milwaukee Brewers. In exchange the Brewers received a group of young players, infielder Luis Sardinas and right-handed pitchers Corey Knebel and Marcos Diplan. Milwaukee will also contribute $4 million towards Gallardo’s $14 million salary for 2015.
Gallardo, who turns 29 in February, will be eligible for free agency next offseason. He’s been very durable, logging the sixth-most innings in baseball over the last six years. That characteristic is surely appealing to the Rangers,...

The Chicago Cubs acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Luis Valbuena and pitcher Dan Straily. The Cubs dealt away some of their infield surplus to upgrade their outfielder. Meanwhile, the Astros got a new third baseman and some depth for their rotation.
The 28 year-old Fowler hit .276/.375/.399 in his first season with the Astros after being traded from the Colorado Rockies. His defensive numbers, while historically below average, were particularly poor in 2014. Still, he’s relatively young,...

The Washington Nationals have signed Max Scherzer to a seven year deal worth more than $180 million reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Scherzer lingered on the free agent market long after other top free agents had signed. However, waiting out the market paid off for the Scott Boras client. His deal topped those signed by C.C. Sabathia and the extensions for Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez.
The 30 year-old Scherzer has been one of the top pitchers in baseball over the last three seasons. He took home the CY Young award in 2013 after winning...

With Brian Cashman seemingly fully in control of personnel decisions, the New York Yankees have continued a calculated approach towards a youth movement this winter. Signing Cuban super-prospect, Yoan Moncada, would be the crown jewel of the off-season and make him immediately the top prospect in the Yankees’ system.
Each transaction thus far has been an obvious attempt at making moves for 2015 and beyond as opposed to a one season franchise attempt, something the Yankees had been attempting for over a decade prior. Moncada would be the “finishing...

Monday marked the beginning of this year’s Boston Red Sox Rookie Development Program, which consists of 10 players and is designed to ease their transition into the majors. Outfielders Mookie Betts, Rusney Castillo and Henry Ramos; catcher Blake Swihart; infielder Sean Coyle, left-handed pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Brian Johnson and Edwin Escobar; and right-handed pitchers Heath Hembree and Zeke Spruill are the participants who will participate in activities that include workouts, meetings with front office executives and seminars about...

The Oakland Athletics busy offseason continues. Today they sent shortstop Yunel Escobar to the Washington Nationals. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the deal and speculates that relief pitcher Tyler Clippard will be going to the A’s. Escobar was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the A’s just this past weekend.
The Nationals gain a lot of flexibility by acquiring Escobar. Most likely he will supplant Danny Espinosa at second base. Incumbent shortstop Ian Desmond will be a free agent after this season, and Escobar is controlled...

In 2014 the Seattle Mariners notched 87 wins, their highest total since 2009. It marked a 16 game improvement on the previous season. Still, the Mariners were unable to end their playoff drought, which has continued since they won an MLB record 116 games in 2001. Going into 2015, the Mariners look like the favorites in the American League West.
The Mariners aren’t short on star power. With Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager, they own three of the top players in the division and all of baseball. Cano, who was signed to a whopping...

Ruben Amaro Jr. needs his phone to ring. Philadelphia Phillies fans need his phone to ring. Any chance for the Phillies to turn the page on their 2008 World Series Championship team hangs in the balance. The Phillies clubhouse has been champagne free now for three seasons with the Phillies falling further and further off the pace in the National League East. But the Phillies are suffering from a severe hangover from that championship run. The cost of winning hangs around the neck of the Phillies Fanatic and the organization. Amaro has to cut...

New Years Day has come and gone and James Shields and Max Scherzer are both waiting for a call from their agents to tell them if they will be in Arizona or Florida when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. Shields is coming off his second World Series appearance and Scherzer is coming off an 18 win season. Either of them would be an upgrade for any team in the league yet both are unsigned as of the first week of the new year so what gives.
Shields would have fit nicely with the Giants eating up innings and saving a bullpen that...

Reports from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle have the Oakland Athletics acquiring middle infielders Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar in exchange for C/DH John Jaso and minor leaguers Daniel Robertson and Boog Powell. For the A’s it’s an upgrade up the middle with Escobar and Zobrist. For the Rays it is a pairing of payroll that will save them $11.5 million or so depending on what Jaso who is 3rd year Arb eligible this season.
Zobrist was in the last year of his 6 year $30 million dollar deal he signed with Tampa Bay. This...